Sunday Scroll #101
The quiet ways our bodies speak, tips for a fresh start, a playlist to help you concentrate, + how a hairstylist organizes her days
Happy Sunday! How’s it going today? This week the Leys have been gearing up for the new school year ahead, getting school supplies in order and all our ducks in a row. We’ve got two 5th graders and a brand-new high schooler (!), and I have no idea how this is even possible.
Tbh I’m not even ready to think about what happens in four years, even though my brain keeps pelting me with what’s going to happen in four years. It’s fine. I’m fine. We’re all fine.
I saw a wise post this week from one of my favorite writers, Emily P. Freeman, who’s about to take her youngest to college. I can’t stop thinking about it. Thank goodness for those who have gone on before us and show us how to navigate what feels impossible.
Anyway! Welcome to the both/and that is my brain these days. 😂
Are y’all ready for some scrolling? Let’s get to it!
I am obsessed with how other people organize their days, especially entrepreneurs. This hairstylist reveals how she organizes her life and business. It’s a long but fascinating read—Heather is a great writer, and it is so mind-boggling to see how she does it all. I already had respect for hairstylists, but wow, I feel some deep empathy for them after reading this. Nobody’s job is easy, I’ll tell you that much.
The Columbus Library recently lost one of its most beloved patrons: 92-year-old Dan Peltzer. Starting in 1962, Dan recorded every single book he ever read and what he thought about it. 3,599 entries later, he had become a legend. And now Dan’s family and the largest library in Ohio are honoring him and his giant book list in the sweetest ways. He had such interesting taste! What a delight this man must’ve been.
Over the past few years I’ve been grateful our world has been thinking about the burden of the mental load that women bear, especially mothers (which I talked about recently with Kate Strickler of Naptime Kitchen). I ran across an experiment this week of what happened when evites for a child’s birthday party were sent to the dads instead of the moms (spoiler alert: it went about as you expected—and prompted an interesting discussion of what it looks like to equalize domestic labor on a day to day basis).
I don’t know about you, but about this time during summer, I’m looking forward to getting back into a regular routine that comes with the school year. That’s why today I’m working on these six things that organized people do on the weekend for smoother weeks ahead. Even if you can’t do all six, just a couple of these things help calm my frazzled brain (psst: if you’re looking for more calm in your week, keep scrolling to the ICYMI section for some great tips!).
We do not deserve dogs. We just don’t. They are too good for this world. Reading about Squash, the beloved dog who belonged to the poet Andrea Gibson who recently passed, cracked my heart open. Don’t read this one at work, okay? What a beautiful love.
When you have a project or something you need to focus on, do you have something to listen to that helps you concentrate? This week I heard about a playlist that lots of productive people swear by, and I was so intrigued by the name: Music for Airports. Not sure what this has to do with airports, but I’m happy to report this playlist really does help me concentrate!
This is not a drill: The Devil Wears Prada 2 is 100% happening—because Miranda Priestly and Nigel (aka Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci) were seen looking flawless in New York last week. Best news! Can’t wait to grab a giant tub of popcorn and watch this in theaters. Plus I can’t wait to see what Emily (not me, Emily Blunt’s character!) is up to now . . .
I’m an Enneagram 3. I’m a mom. I’m an entreprenur. I’ve always been a hard worker. This all means that sometimes I have a hard time listening to what my body is telling me, especially when it’s trying to say, “Whoa, Emily, pump the brakes here.” I don’t listen to my body until it quite literally shuts down. But there were warning signs along the way—I just chose to ignore them. Here’s how your body says no. When you recognize these signs, you can do something about them before you have to stay in bed for three days.
And speaking of bodies, I really appreciated this essay about how to learn to love your body, especially in summer. When you spend a lot of time in your head (🙋🏻♀️), sometimes it’s hard to remember that you even have a body, let alone feel comfortable in it. Even still, we can learn how to treat our bodies with gentleness and care, no matter what age we are or where we find ourselves. Our bodies are made for change, to move and stretch over time. And they were made for good things, like smelling freshly baked bread, or swimming in a cold lake, or holding your kid tight. Just something to remember.
Nothing has made me laugh harder in a long time than watching this dog steal a kitchen towel. He knows exactly what he’s doing—and has no regrets!!!
As the school year begins, I have staples I reach for every morning to help me feel a little polished and ready to tackle the day.
These small gold hoops are my most-worn jewelry on school days. So light I don’t know they’re there, but a little gold just adds a little pop to whatever I’m wearing.
I’ve shared my favorite dry shampoo before, but I’m sharing it again because this stuff is truly the best. I can go days without washing my superfine hair, thanks to this stuff.
I love these wide-leg jeans when the weather is still warm. I can throw on a top and these jeans, and feel ready for errands after carline.
I can’t get over how much fun Planner Bootcamp has been over on The Simplified Post! Team Simplified is giving you the best tips and tricks for setting up your 2025–2026 Simplified Planner, and the comments sections have been gold. Y’all have smart ideas for organizing your planners, your days, your lives.
Want to follow along? Here’s the first three posts to get you started!
That’s all I’ve got for you today. I’m rooting for you this week!
Oh how I miss Clippy...
I love all of those resets for the new year! So smart and practical too! Happy Sunday!